Avoriaz Snow Report: 5th February 2016

Approximately fifty centimetres of snow has fallen in the last forty eight hours, improving conditions massively.

Some snow fell last weekend but the big storm arrived on Wednesday. Heavy snowfall fell throughout the area, with a low freezing level ensuring that Morzine was carpetted with snow.

The snowfall the previous weekend was very wet and threatening to turn to rain, even at higher altitudes. The new snow that has fallen has been big, fluffy flakes, making conditions perfect.

Today, the storm abated, the skies were blue and the sun was shining.

The pistes are in excellent condition and there is now no sign of the brown patches that had started to appear on some slopes.

There is currently 100cm of snow on the lower slopes and 190cm on the higher slopes. Forty nine out of fifty three pistes were open today, and thirty three of the thirty four lifts were running.

A lot of the fresh snow was becoming tracked by mid afternoon, although there is still fresh snow to be found in some of the quieter areas. Areas around Les Crosets and Torgon often remain untracked for several days after a fresh snowfall.

The avalanche risk has been reduced in the last couple of weeks, although it is still important to be careful and to always be aware of your surroundings and the risks involved. If you are unsure of where you are going then always make sure you go with a guide.

The early bird catches the worm, and those who made it for first lifts were rewarded with untouched snow in Fornet and the Mossettes this morning.

In Avoriaz all the snowparks are now open for business. At the top of the Prodains cable car are two half pipes, one large and one small one to practice on. The Chapelle park has been open for a while now, and the big park on the Arare is now open, as well as The Stash.

There is also a park over in Super Chatel and one on Mt Chery.

The big news for this year is that unfortunately the Superpark in Les Crosets will not be opening this year. This is a decision that has been taken by the lift company's management, and they will instead concentrate on smaller features in the hope of attracting a wider audience. However, whilst the park itself will now be dedicated to these smaller features, there are plans to build larger features elsewhere for competitions and photo shoots.

More snow is expected this coming weekend, with heavy snowfall during the week. The snow is expected to begin on Sunday which could be problematic for people coming to and from resort, although for those arriving the inconvenience will be offset by all that new snow!